Livery designer Joshua Stedford: ‘cars are my canvas with a turbocharger attached’

Having spent 15 years designing liveries as a hobby, in 2020 Joshua Stedford decided it was time to take the plunge and turn his lifelong passion into a career. He talks to us about starting his own business, the creative process behind his work, and why Affinity is the perfect tool for his designs.

Joshua, please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m 26 years old, a lifelong car enthusiast from South London, and a self-taught livery designer. I started my business, Livery Magic, in January 2022. Alongside designing vehicle wraps, I also create branding packages and logos for new businesses, and I’ve recently started designing race suits, helmets, and a few motorbike liveries too.

What led you to specialise in livery design?

I’ve been designing liveries in video games since I was about six years old. It combined my love of cars and graphic design in one place, so I was instantly hooked.

Back then, livery editors in games were much more basic than they are now, but that didn’t stop me from doing it as a hobby for years—starting with early Need for Speed titles and gradually developing my skills through newer driving games.

In 2020, I was still designing liveries as a hobby while working as a Marketing Assistant, but I realised my skills were outgrowing the limitations of video game editors. When I was made redundant in February that year, it felt like the perfect time to move my passion to the desktop and turn it into a career.

I used the lockdown period to learn everything I could about Affinity, about becoming a livery designer, and about running a small business. I drew, researched, and practiced constantly until January 2022, when I officially launched Livery Magic.

What factors matter most when creating a vehicle livery?

Imagination, a close study of the car’s body shape, and a solid understanding of your client’s needs are all key. Just like logo design—or any creative medium—every great livery starts with inspiration, something that sparks ideas and gives the project direction. Having a loose plan before you begin will make the process run much smoother.

Studying the car’s body shape is especially important. Unlike a flat canvas, every car is different, and identifying the best spots for logos—or areas to avoid—is critical. For example, a car with wide aftermarket fenders will distort any logo or sponsor placed over them, so it’s essential to either avoid those areas or study photos of the real car closely to make it work.

But on the flip side, some cars have larger-than-usual areas—c-pillars, for example (the section behind the rear quarter window and beneath the rear window)—which are excellent spots for minor sponsors. So it works both ways.

And then there are the client’s requirements. Some commissioned liveries are simple, clean, and uncluttered, while others are completely wild, with characters, gradients, and everything in between. Establishing the client’s vision early on makes the first drafts more accurate and helps you work out the best way to get the livery printed on the real car. It also means you can provide a fairer quote, since you’ll know exactly how much work is needed—a win-win for both sides.

Can you talk us through the creative process behind your work?

The first step in creating a livery is preparing an accurate vehicle template. For my social media posts, I build them from scratch in Affinity—creating my own reflections, wheels, outlines and more.

For client work (designs intended to be printed), I usually purchase a blueprint of the vehicle and then modify it to match the car exactly, including any aftermarket modifications. This saves time and money, and ensures the template is both accurate and visually appealing.

Once the template is ready, I start on the livery itself, using inspiration from my own research or from the client’s feedback. On average, a design goes through three to nine revisions before it’s finalised.

Which part of the process do you enjoy most and why?

I enjoy the middle of the livery design process, when everything starts to come together. At the beginning, it’s natural to have doubts—wondering if the concept feels too plain or too over the top. But then there’s a moment where you lock in the layout, colour palette, and theme, and you think: “That’s it. We’ve got magic.” That’s by far the best part of the process. From there, the doubts disappear, and it becomes all about refining the design until it’s absolutely perfect.

How do you find using Affinity to create your designs?

In a word: brilliant. Above all, I can trust the software to get the job done. It’s affordable, powerful, and once you’ve learned the key features, very easy to use. The advanced tools are excellent too. Some of my templates and liveries can get pretty complex, but Affinity handles them with aplomb. I’ve been running it on Windows since February 2020, and I’ll definitely continue to do so.

Do you have any favourite features?

I use the Pen Tool in almost every project, so that’s the first feature that comes to mind. But there are plenty more. Creating my own shortcuts in Affinity saves time and streamlines my workflow, while swatches make it easy to build colour palettes for each livery—or for branding projects like logos. I’d also give a shoutout to the Transparency Tool, which helps me create subtle, matte-like reflections.

How have you honed your style and skills over the last couple of years?

A combination of constant practice and plenty of studying! Looking at livery icons from motorsport history, as well as work from other designers, has taught me a lot about what separates a good design from a great one.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve mastered a much wider range of livery styles beyond my signature minimalism—drift cars, Itasha, commercial vehicles, daily drivers, high-end motorsport, and more. This has allowed me to work with a broader client base with diverse requirements. And honestly? Affinity hasn’t put a foot wrong. I can take a project from start to finish in one program, with no need for plugins.

What has been your proudest achievement so far?

The first livery I ever designed for print. Before 2022, I’d created stickers and small graphics for cars, but never a full livery prepared for print—let alone for a car as expensive as the Audi R8 LMS. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, so I jumped in, poured my heart into an asymmetrical design, and the risk paid off.

Beyond that, starting Livery Magic is something I’ll always be proud of. Going from a six-year-old designing liveries in Need for Speed to creating them for real cars 18 years later never gets old.

Are there any upcoming projects you're excited about, and do you have any long-term goals?

I’m really excited about expanding into racewear. Helmets and race suits are, in some ways, easier than cars—and super-intricate helmet designs are frequently requested and a lot of fun to create.

Looking ahead, my next company goal is to offer off-the-shelf liveries. At the moment, all my designs are bespoke, but I’d love to build a collection that enthusiasts could purchase instantly at a lower price point. It would make the process much faster—clients could download a ready-to-go wrap design and head straight to installation.

Finally, do you have any advice for others thinking of starting their own creative business?

Do plenty of research before diving in—don’t skip any steps. Figure out your specialty, the software and hardware you’ll need, what the competition looks like, and how you’ll turn your dream job into a sustainable living. With research, hard work, patience, and practice, you can absolutely start your own creative business and make the dream a reality.

Explore more of Joshua’s designs at liverymagic.com, or follow his work on Instagram and Pinterest.